Stadium replacement a monument to excess

By Peter FitzSimons

1 December 2017 — 7:21pm

Goodness! There I was minding my own business, taking a little rest after penning a piece on how I just couldn't understand the virtues of the NSW government spending $2 billion of our money to knock down the Olympic Stadium and the SFS, to replace them with new ones – all when there is ZERO public demand to do either – when all hell broke loose. The phone started ringing. Texts started pinging. Twitter started zinging.

And all together they were singing: go harder, this is a DISGRACE!

An artist's impression of what the new Allianz Stadium will look like. The stadium is built entirely on SCG Trust lands.

Photo: Supplied

No joke, in 30 years in this game, I've never had a reaction like it. No-one, it seems, can get their head around the reasons. And when I did a Twitter poll, neutrally phrased, 89 per cent were against it, and just 11 per cent in favour.

Beyond the sheer waste, the staggering disbursement of largesse to answer a need that is not there – all while other under-resourced areas of the public domain are crying out for help – two particular themes from my piece seemed to resonate with the public.

The new Western Sydney Stadium at Parramatta.

Photo: Craig Willoughby

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Firstly, as one reader put it, why the hell is it "one-way traffic between Sydney's professional sport and taxpayer largesse?"

As in, when these stadiums are primarily used by the Big Business Sport, putting on spectacles that generate BILLIONS of dollars in ticket sales, together with gaming and tv rights revenue, why are Johnny and Jenny Taxpayer constantly forking over ever more moolah from the public purse, with nothing coming from those businesses? Far from the government getting them to pitch in for the building their business infrastructure, we taxpayers are making them grants! How does that work?

Secondly, if you are going to put that kind of money to sport, what about the grass-roots? How much good could a mere fraction of that money do, building sporting facilities around the state, funding sporting programs, training volunteers and all the rest? As the ABC's Brigid Glanville mused on Wendy Harmer's morning program on Thursday, if the government has that kind of money for sport, how much stronger would it be to go with the stadiums we have, and build 2000 $1 million sporting projects around the state? I would say, more realistically, why not do 100 x $10 million projects, giving every town basketball, tennis, netball facilities. Wouldn't that be more beneficial for the health and happiness of the population, while, surely three times as electorally popular? Think about it, Premier Berejiklian and Minister Ayres!

To most of the population, the decision to raze the two stadiums to build new ones seems like the Big End of Town looking after the Big End of Town, with absolutely nothing going to anyone else. They want it stopped, and so strong is the outcry, I think your government is facing a political nightmare on it. The whole thing has a strong whiff of Alan Jones about it, and as he would say, "I'll have more to say on this soon!"

Illustration: John Shakespeare

At your collective request, I have started a respectful petition to the NSW government to stop the razing of the stadiums and put the $2 billion towards community projects instead of elite sport.

And speaking of stadiums...

But no, I'm bloody well not done yet, for this week. For meantime, a good deal of angst also showed up about the case of Parramatta Stadium, whose primary use for a long time has also been for professional sports outfits, like the Eels and Wanderers, both large money-making concerns which, nevertheless, rarely managed to sell all of the seats they had. Nevertheless, as one reader noted, "it was decided we needed to knock that down to add 10,000 more seats. That way footballers could play in front of 15 or 20 thousand empty seats rather than five or 10 thousand empty seats – adds to the atmosphere I am sure. Of course we needed the extra seats now because in the last upgrade we removed 5000 seats."

But wait, there's more. For right beside the old Parramatta Stadium, there was the local swimming pool, heavily used by the people, including kids learning to swim and paddling pensioners, the well-heeled and the poor – a great community asset and ...

And are you way ahead of me? Can you see where this is going?

Yup, to uselessly expand the money-making stadium, at great cost to the taxpayers, they knocked down the pool that everyone was using, with no replacement! What is wrong with this picture?? And how long before the people rise against the madness?

Head shot posers

Cameron Bancroft!

How, bloody refreshing. Here is the transcript of the new Australian Test opener's remarks at his press conference, after the news broke that he had been head-butted by English wicket-keeper Johnny Bairstow, in Perth, a fortnight ago.

Reporter: "I realise this sounds a bit ridiculous but did he headbutt you like that (moves head forward) straightforward, or like that ... we can't work it out."

Bancroft: "Whatever your imagination pictures it as, it might be."

Reporter: "Well we picture it as knocking someone over."

Bancroft: "No it didn't knock me over. I've actually got the heaviest head in the West Australian squad. There's an actual measurement for it. So I took the blow quite well and moved on from it. It was a good hit. Play on."

Reporter: "Trevor Bayliss said it was a long way from being a headbutt. He said there's a headbutt and there's what happened to you. A headbutt is totally different. Could you, perhaps, define on a one to 10 basis what happened?"

Bancroft: "He connected with my head, with a force that would make me sort of think 'wow, that's a bit weird'."

Reporter: "Was it the top of his head into your nose?"

Bancroft: "Headbutts clash with heads. When he made the decision to do that, our heads collided."

Fabulous!

UK fans' anthem is no joke

Yes, seeing as you mention it, I am the Chair of the Australian Republic Movement. And in terms of an advertising campaign for our cause – getting a better system of government than one presided over by a family of English aristocrats living in a palace in London – I kid you not, we could do little better than the Barmy Army singing their current anthem. I'm not joking:

The Aussies love the English, you might find it quite strange

'Cos we sent them all down under, with only balls and chains

And when they see the English, they always shout and scream

But when they had the chance to vote they voted for the Queen!

God save YOUR gracious Queen

Long live YOUR noble Queen

God save YOUR Queen

Send her victorious

Happy and Glorious

Long to reign over YOU

God save YOUR Queen.

Yes, I know. I cringe with embarrassment too. But we are trying to do something to get us into the 21st Century. Help us!

A call for decency

Memo Barmy Army, meantime,

Our people love you people, and you are most welcome here. You add to the colour and passion of the whole series. And your chants are mostly clever. Please, however, stop doing the nasty personal ones, particularly about cricketer's wives. Most of you are much better, and more decent than that. Tell the ones who aren't, to pull their bloody heads in.

Thank you, Peter

Rowing machine champions

Listen, having gushed in an unseemly manner about my own Australian Championship win for the world's fastest time for over 55 men on an indoor rowing machine, over 500 M – 1 minute 23.6 seconds, thanks for asking – allow me to spread the glory. For in the 45-49 years category one-time Wallaby and Sydney University lock John Langford DOMINATED, winning three categories in the Australian Championships, including the 2000 Metres in a staggering 6 minutes 19.8 seconds. As good as he is, however, his fellow Sydney Uni Wallaby lock, David Dix – now living in London – has the world's fastest ranking for 40-49 year old men, with a 16 minutes 39.6 seconds, and two years ago nailed a 6 minutes 12.9 seconds for the 2000 M. RAH!

What they said

Australian opening batsman, Cameron Bancroft: "I got into a very amicable conversation with Jonny and yeah, he just greeted me with a headbutt, kind of thing. I was expecting a handshake ... it wasn't the greeting of choice I was expecting."

Nathan Lyon on his pre-Test comments, saying they: "I took a lot of pressure off Tim Paine and Cameron Bancroft. I thought you guys were a little smarter than that ... The comments that I said before the match had nothing to do with the way I'm bowling now. It's probably coming out of the hand the best it's come out."

Willie Mason unhappy with the referee in the Tonga-England game: "Matt checcin should never ref again!! At least go to the video ref you idiot!!! You just F---n ruined the whole World Cup."

Golfer Cameron Davis, ranked #1494 in the world, on winning the Australian Open: "It doesn't get much better than this. I'm going to remember this forever."

Sir Clive Woodward on Eddie Jones' achievements as England coach: "It's been staggering to win (22 out of 23) from, for me, what was a shambles in the 2015 World Cup."

Matildas star Sam Kerr doesn't think players should leave for the AFLW: "It doesn't annoy me. It's an AFL thing at the moment to try and snag some players from other codes, but honestly, if anyone in the Matildas was to leave for the AFL it would be stupid. We travel the world, we play in Olympic games ..."

Caroline Wilson, stepping down after 19 years as The Age's chief football writer: "Amazingly, there's more to life than football."

Kiwi captain Adam Blair in a now infamous post-match interview after his side lost to Fiji in the Rugby League World Cup: "[It's] not a negative for us." What then, was the point in turning up?

Michael Clarke, reflects on the tough times he faced after Phillip Hughes died after being felled by a bouncer at the SCG: "I had six weeks in the West Indies ... whatever we had on as a team during the day I would go back to my room every night and just cry myself to sleep." Clarke says he should have retired, as he was never the same player again.

Australian Test cricketer Peter Handscomb on sledging: "It's something that's part of the game, it always has been, it always will be. If there's a moment that we can exploit someone's mental capabilities, well then yeah, we're going to go about it." I'll say it again: it's just not cricket.

Andrew Nimmo, NSW chapter president, of the Australian Institute of Architects on the NSW government's extraordinary decision to demolish the SFS and Olympic stadiums and replace them with new, but not bigger ones: "The Sydney Football Stadium is barely 30 years old, while the Olympic Stadium is less than 20 years old. When our major public buildings don't last 30 years, we have a real problem. To demolish, rather than to refurbish, seems like an extraordinary waste. These stadiums are buildings that should live for at least 50 to 100 years. We are doing something wrong as a society if we apply a throwaway mentality to assets that are still so relatively young." Stand by, sports fans.

Gang of Youths Frontman Dave Le'aupepe, getting emotional, as he accepted the Aria for Best Album of the year, paying tribute to the First Peoples and immigrants who contributed so much: "We are strong people, we are proud people and useful ... not just on the footy field. We f---ing love this country." Welcome to the Australia Republic Movement, Dave! There is a newly confident spirit of independence abroad in the land!

Team of the week

Jarryd Hayne. He has a new dream – to return to the Eels.

Stephen Moore. Retires after an extraordinary 129 test caps. Made his debut in 2005 and never touched the Bledisloe Cup. Played New Zealand 30 times and was in the winning team on six occasions. A good man, and great player. Well done, oh good and faithful servant of the game.

Wallabies. Apart from All Blacks, haven't had a loss like they did to Scotland since 2008 loss to South Africa. Worst defeat in 118 years to a northern hemisphere side and the third most points the team has conceded in history.

Valentine Holmes. Eleven tries in last two games for Kangaroos

Sekope Kepu. Just the fifth Wallaby in history to be red-carded.

Siobhan Seiuli. The new President of West Harbour Rugby is first female President of a Sydney Premier Rugby Club.

Wade Ormsby. After 264 attempts, the Australian golfer won on the European Tour with victory at the Hong Kong Open.

Ashleigh Barty. Began the year at #271 and finishes in the top 20 a deserved winner of the Newcombe Medal.